Flt Lt Richard Playne Stevens - Nightfighter Ace

[Andy Saunders]

I have spent some time with Terry Thompson these last couple of weeks and I can tell you that work is well underway for a very detailed biography of R P Stevens. Terry has been collecting material for well over twenty years and has a vast amount of detail, interviews, photographs etc. The work will be extremely comprehensive but obviously he is loathe to release information from his archive at this stage which will form the basis of his eventual work.

[gedburke3]

Hi Andy and all,
My understanding is that he will not be included as a BoB participant in Wynns future book release.
I believe he now has proof that he never flew operationally during the required period and will therefore be omitted.
Gerry

[Andy Saunders]

Indeed so, Gerry.

Terry Thompson was talking about this to me today and was satisfied from his research going back 25 years that R P Stevens was not a Battle of Britain "accredited" pilot. I may have misunderstood, but I think that his Record of Service failed to show an issue of the BofB bar thus indicating that the powers-that-be never considered him to be B-of-B either. Terry did mention saomething about "another R Stevens" on 151 Squadron and this is where the confusion arose. If so, it seems that this "other" R Stevens is not on the list. Should he be? Whoever he is...!!